The Problem with Fiberglass Insulation

Fiberglass is extremely popular among builders, but is often misused or installed incorrectly, resulting in the fiberglass hurting your home rather than helping it.  An example of misuse is when it’s installed in a basement ceiling where it is open on one side.  All of the wire, pipes, and cross-bridging crinkles it up and creates air pockets.  Air flows through fiberglass easily and is seldom installed properly, meaning you don’t get the insulation performance you were promised on the package.

Fiberglass insulation loses a high percentage of its “R value” when it gets even a small percentage of water in it.  “R value” is a measure of thermal resistance and is the ratio of the temperature difference across an insulator and the heat flux.  Also, fiberglass is completely ruined when it gets wet.  Most people that install fiberglass insulation don’t even understand this, or they wouldn’t put it where it doesn’t belong—in the basement.

If you took a piece of fiberglass insulation and ran it under the faucet, it would absorb the water and become much heavier.  It will lose its shape as it gets wet and heavy, and it will flop over in a big heap like wet tissues.  Because it is such an absorbent material, it is not appropriate for the basement.  Also, almost all fiberglass insulation has a paper facing on one side (some are foil-faced, but there’s still paper underneath the foil), which makes it extremely susceptible to mold.

Yet another reason fiberglass insulation can be a problem is because of the dye that makes it the bright pink or yellow color.  Fiberglass is made from sand and is naturally a neutral color.  When the fiberglass in your basement ceiling or walls gets wet, the dye leaks out and stains whatever it is touching.  Some big name companies even use a fiberglass panel covered with fabric when finishing basements.  This is a terrible strategy because once it gets wet—and it will get wet—it’s ruined.

Many homeowners think that if they hire a big, recognizable company to finish their basement, they will do the job correctly.  However, some of these companies use materials that shouldn’t be anywhere near a basement, especially fiberglass insulation.  Total Basement Finishing by Woods Basement Systems uses entirely inorganic and waterproof materials when finishing your basement—preventing mold growth and keeping your basement permanently dry.